NBG - Babel Demise
by Shir0gane
Summary: Being rather disappointed with the original canon bridging the two games I decided to write an alternative storyline based on the Sarif ending of Human Revolution. I'm going to keep all the characters alive I came to love (and hate xD) and add Kusanagi as the major opponent to give Sarif the downfall he deserves.
1. Chapter 1

_'And the Lord appeared to them and confused their speech, when they had built the tower to the height of four hundred and sixty-three cubits. And they took a gimlet, and they sought to pierce the heaven, saying, Let us see whether the heaven is made of clay, or of brass, or of iron. When God saw this He did not permit them, but smote them with blindness and confusion of speech.'_

Greek Apocalypse of Baruch, 3:6-8

* * *

 _2027, Detroit, Sarif Industries HQ, Plaza_

The golden illuminated twin tower loomed high above the city of Detroit, a monument of progress and evolution not long ago, now a divisive reminder to everybody beholding its magnificence. Like a symbol it was rising into the starless evening sky, sending off its warm light against the tides of dread and despair surging up from within the urban canyons; still unwavering, yet not unscathed.

Recent events had taken their toll on Sarif Industries headquarters, leaving it branded and stigmatized despite its every effort to calm the public unrest and global fear of augmentations following that terrible incident. Hateful graffiti and flyers rotting in narrow corners denounced the company of murder, deceit and human rights violations. The plaza leading up to the main entrance had been ravaged during several violent demonstrations and riots; windows, doors and surveillance equipment repeatedly being broken and smashed to pieces, every time replaced in hope it would be the last.

It wasn't.

Adam Jensen, Sarif Industries' Chief of Security, was well aware of that as he was supervising the installation of a new set of automated cameras to monitor the stairs of the plaza and the street beyond.

Fairly empty at this late hour the place was only populated by a handful of SI employees taking a break or heading home, missing the usual amount of poor devils begging for money and Neuropozyne. As winter was closing in the homeless had been forced to find help and warmth at one of the few shelters hastily erected to provide for the many in need. Nonetheless, Adam had a body of security guards constantly on watch to keep at least the immediate periphery safe.

Finally, the maintenance tech working the screws and cables from atop a man lift gave his ok to proceed, whereat Adam hailed Frank Pritchard, Sarif's Chief of Cyber-Security, via Infolink.

'Pritchard, the wiring is done. Tell me, you're getting a visual.'

'Working on it,' the snarky voice promptly responded. 'Connecting now, and... there it is.'

The camera suddenly came to life, lenses rotating, frame panning.

'Autofocus check, IR check, night vision check. Maneuverability's a tad sluggish, but the resolution is sublime.' Just like a child discovering a new toy to play with Pritchard got himself all carried away. 'Except for that big, ugly, black smudge right in the middle of... Oh, no, wait, that's just you, Jensen.'

'Yeah, come and zoom in a bit closer, Francis.'

Adam splayed a finger for Pritchard to see, just as he got interrupted by another voice from behind.

'Err, Mr. Jensen, sir?'

Startled, Adam turned to notice one of his security staff approaching, uncomfortably fiddling with a pocket secretary in his hands.

'Yeah, what is it, Dawson?'

'I... I'm sorry, boss.' The guy hesitated for a second longer before he finally passed the device on.

Adam already had a good guess on the content matter and when he activated the display he found his assumption confirmed, the title reading 'Letter of Resignation'.

'I'm really sorry,' Dawson seemed somewhat troubled and eager for absolution. 'I know, you're in need of every man and I'd like to stay and help - I really do - but I gotta get my family out of this city.'

'It's ok, I understand,' Adam assured and tucked the secretary away. 'I'll take care of the formalities. You just make sure you get your folks safe.'

'Thank you, sir.' Still wavering, Dawson threw a look up the twin tower, regarding its luminescent majesty for a moment before he had to face away. 'And best of luck to you.'

At strife, Adam watched him go, deeply regretting to lose yet another good man. After the Aug Incident employees had been quitting faster than the proverbial rats leaving the sinking ship. And since Sarif had no choice but to fill the vacancies with the many ostracized Enhanced, Dawson had been one of the last few Naturals remaining at the company. Soon, there'd be none left, and Adam couldn't even blame them.

'And there goes another one,' Pritchard suddenly commented out of nowhere.

'Nobody ever taught you eavesdropping's a nasty habit?'

'I don't need to eavesdrop, I got a hi-res visual, remember?' the tech sneered back. 'By the way, Jensen, did you notice that you're starting to grey? You might wanna do something about it.'

Drawing a deep breath to calm the rising anger Adam turned and grimly fixated the electronic eye watching him.

'Get out of my hair, Francis, or I swear I'll rip off that precious camera of yours and shove it someplace you really won't be comfortable with.'

'Uhh, scary,' Pritchard showed himself unimpressed. 'So, what are you going to do about it?'

'Say again?'

'Keep up, Jensen. He was one of yours. The lines of our physical security are thinning gradually. We can barely staff shifts as it is already.'

Yeah, Adam was well aware of that.

Dating just about two months back the Aug Incident had left everybody surviving scarred and shaken to the core. An estimated death toll of over fifty million people and hundreds of thousands maimed and injured had decimated the population drastically. And though fear and mistrust of augmentations and biotech companies were driving off Naturals from pioneering metropolises like Detroit, desperate Augs came flocking together in hope of some salvation, consistently transforming the whole city into an Aug refugee camp.

No, the issue wasn't so much the lack of people willing to work, but people being able to.

Almost everyone who'd chosen to get implanted in the past had terribly suffered for it, been victimized by remote manipulation and turned into rampant killers. They'd all been broken, physically and mentally. They were rather in need of a good therapy than a taxing job.

But Adam required personnel that was able to think on its feet, react swiftly and wouldn't choke taking up arms in order to protect Sarif. And the few candidates fitting that profile were too eager for it, gravely affected by the blind hatred deepening the rift which was dividing mankind.

'Jensen?' Pritchard grew impatient by the lasting silence.

'Don't worry, I'll find a replacement,' Adam ensured, brushing the dark thoughts aside. 'Just do me a favor and keep it from Sarif. He doesn't need to know.'

'Roger that,' the tech agreed. 'Speaking of, I just got word the boss is inbound. He wants to brief us.'

'About damn time.'

Adam hadn't been comfortable at all with David attending the board of directors' meeting in person and without any company security around. But despite all his protests, the conditions of this unscheduled assembly had been indisputable; and the meeting taking much longer than expected hadn't really put his mind at ease.

'I'm gonna meet the boss at the helipad,' he let Pritchard know, already stirring into motion and heading towards the entrance.

'I'll join up as soon as I'm done here.'

'Copy.'

With the tech cutting off, Adam was about to enter the foyer of Sarif Industries headquarters when he was brought to a halt by another voice again, this time of female origin.

'Adam?'

He stopped, stifling a sigh before he turned to face the woman. It's been one of those days all along.

'Yeah, what is it, Nicole?' he asked, inconveniently noticing he was familiar with her beyond a professional level. They used to hook up one time or another, back when things had been entirely different.

'I'm about to leave for today and was wondering if you are free. I'm not feeling safe, going home by myself,' she made her proposition quite clear.

'I'm sorry,' Adam rejected curtly. 'Sarif's just getting back and wants to talk a few things through. But I can assign you an escort, if that's ok with you.'

'Ah, no need,' she dismissed the offer. 'I think I'll manage. Maybe another time.'

'Yeah, maybe.'

Leaving her where she stood, Adam silently thanked David for the very convenient excuse. He really wasn't of a mind for amorous adventures, especially since he knew he couldn't fulfill her true desire anyway. He hadn't any comfort left to spare.

As Adam entered the lobby he instantly found himself surrounded by familiar impressions; the towering information panels reaching for the high ceiling, warm lights, friendly faces and sounds, reminding him of his very first day on the job - as well as his return after he'd been on the brink of death.

Even though about half of the original Sarif staff had resigned by now, there'd been a large amount of personnel who'd had managed to avoid the biochip manipulation causing the Aug Incident. For some reason - may it be out of instinct or suspicion or simple lack of opportunity - lots of employees hadn't submitted themselves to the global chip replacement engineered by the Illuminati; same as Adam, David, Athene, Pritchard, Malik. Those who stayed.

'Mr. Jensen, Adam,' Cindy, the receptionist, addressed him from behind her desk. 'Is the installation finished?'

'Yeah,' Adam confirmed, passing by. 'When Pritchard's done with the final calibrations you should get a clear signal.'

Not stopping for her to bother him with any more questions he headed towards and up the stairs to cross through the Cafeteria straight ahead, simply ignoring the several employees gathered there in front of the TV.

When he stepped out into the chill December night again the B-EE was just about to arrive, slowly descending from above, turbines roaring, until its gear hit the landing pad and the machines powered down. The passenger bay opened to release an obviously ill-tempered David.

'Adam, you're here. Good.' He came approaching over the walkway. 'Frank's coming, too? I gotta talk to you both.'

'On his way,' Adam informed, throwing his boss a closer look. 'It went that well, I take it?'

David honored the question with a dismissive snort, but before he could comment any further one of the employees stuck her head out of the door, urgently appealing to David.

'Mr. Sarif, you have to come and see this.'

'Great, what now?' David grumbled and motioned Adam to follow him inside.

They hadn't even gotten in range to catch a glimpse of the screen displaying Picus's latest news broadcast when Adam already identified the toady voice speaking with rising distaste.

'Of course, it was all a lie, Eliza. The accusations directed against my organization - and thus, my person in particular - could never be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. I've been wrongfully framed and slandered, as this evidence will clearly show. Humanity Front is - and always will be - a peaceful institution, its sole intent on bridging the widening gap of concern and misunderstanding in this unnecessary conflict.'

Several faces turned as David and Adam were queuing up behind the crowd, regarding them with worried looks, while Eliza Cassan continued her exclusive interview on William Taggart.

'Mr. Taggart, you yourself have admitted to Humanity Front harboring a terrorist in the past. How can you now deny your involvement in the biological warfare conducted on augmented people?'

Eliza was still mounting her argument when Pritchard pushed through the doors all of a sudden, stopping short and craning his neck in search for David and Adam.

'Good, you're seeing it, too,' he noted, finding and joining with them.

'Yes, I agree,' Taggart responded on screen. 'The circumstances relating to my former aide, Isaias Sandoval, had been very unfortunate, indeed. But I can assure you, this has been an isolated incident, and Mr. Sandoval is being convicted for his crimes as the law commands. Concerning that terrible tragedy, however, I was nothing but a shocked observer - a witness, actually. In truth, Eliza, no biological attack ever occurred - not by hand of Humanity Front nor anyone else - and I have conclusive data to prove this claim.'

'Dammit, what's he up to?' David muttered his growing unease.

'Guess, we're about to find out,' Pritchard couldn't help but state the obvious.

'Yes,' Eliza followed up. 'You were mentioning you have unearthed enough evidence to clear you and Humanity Front from any allegations. Let's show this material to our viewers and shed some new light on that event.'

The screen swapped and displayed Hugh Darrow at Panchaea, delivering his speech, right before he activated the signal which had caused myriads of people to lose their mind.

'Thank you, David. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Sarif here has asked me to show the world how human enhancement technology can change it. After careful deliberation, I've decided I must do exactly that. Forgive me.'

Then, the massacre launched, reviving the horrors once again and making everyone present relive that dreadful day with all its agony and fear involved. The assembled staff startled, gasping, whispering, wailing; and even Adam could feel it, the crippling sensation of powerlessness reoccurring.

But there was more. The picture on screen swapped another time, now showing Darrow during his talk with Adam.

'Fuck me!'

'Oh, I know what I've done, believe me,' Darrow spoke on from the beyond. 'I take no pleasure in it. I did what had to be done. Twenty years ago, I gave the world augmentation technology. I thought I was giving it a bright future but instead, I gave it the means to destroy itself. No law, no UN regulation was going to fix that.

'I had to convince the world. Before today, people believed we should steal fire from the gods and redesign human nature. But human nature is the only thing we have that gives us a moral compass, and the social skills we need to live in peace! Destroy it, and you destroy our very species.'

Cutting out Adam's presence in this conversation entirely, the picture swapped back to Taggart, leaving the whole room speechless.

'As you can see, Eliza, this is the true testament of Hugh Darrow, a great visionary who, unfortunately, resorted to grave measures in face of a development he considered a threat to all mankind.'

As Eliza and Taggart went on discussing the possible means and motivation behind Darrow's actions the inevitable murmur rose among the employees, asking themselves the very same questions.

'Where, the hell, did that come from?' David was asking an entirely different question.

'That's part of my talk with Darrow,' Adam let him know. 'I've no idea why - or how - Taggart got a record of that.'

'Three guesses,' David grumbled.

Adam exchanged a glance with Pritchard, confirming both their guesses. _They_ must have cleared everything of advantage out of Panchaea before sinking it to the bottom of the ocean.

'Come on,' David called on them. 'I've seen enough.'

* * *

 _2027, Detroit, Sarif Industries HQ, Office David Sarif_

'Shit, that's just what we needed, right now,' David cursed away as they were riding the elevator up to the top of the Sarif tower, where his office was located. 'That goddamn Purist shoving his weight around, currying sympathy again.'

'Can you blame him?' Adam remarked sarcastically. 'Wait, you already did.'

David shot him a reproachful look in return.

'I thought, we were all past that.'

'We are,' Adam affirmed. 'Won't hurt to remind you from time to time, though.'

'I can assure you, there's no need for that.' Gnarling, David let the topic drop.

'At least he's not blaming us,' Pritchard considered.

'Not yet, he isn't. But you can bet your ass, it's just a matter of time. He dangled my name along with Darrow already in that record, putting me on the same level with him.'

David was most likely right about that. And none of this came as a surprise. They all had known the lie would blow over eventually.

'At any rate,' Adam focused on a different matter, 'his sudden reappearance is all too convenient with the Human Evolution Conference this close.'

'You don't say,' David noted as the doors opened, releasing them into the front room of his office. 'Why else do you think he came forward now?'

Only three days ahead the Human Evolution Conference, supposed to be held at the Detroit Convention Center, had been postponed several times after the Aug Incident, David pushing for execution until it was finally authorized. Everybody of name and rank to the biotech campaign was expected to attend - everybody remaining, that is.

Taggart stirring up questions better left ignored was certainly going to divert public attention from David's efforts to mend the seething conflict.

'David,' Athene Margoulis, Sarif's Executive Assistant, rose from her desk. 'Good, you're back. Have you seen-'

'Yeah, I saw it,' David gently interjected, checking himself in front of the elderly lady. 'We gotta discuss what's to be done about it. Be a dear and fix us some drinks, will ya?'

Athene complied with a nod and opened the doors, leading on into the office, where she fetched a tray, glasses and David's favorite brand of Bourbon. She served the drinks quietly, while Pritchard and Adam took a seat across their boss at the large desk, before she was leaving them to their talk.

'So, it is safe to assume that Taggart's performance today was orchestrated by the Illuminati,' Pritchard resumed their last argument as David was already having a long sip from his glass. 'They obviously are on the move again. Don't you think it's about time you told us who exactly is pulling the strings there?'

'I wish, I knew,' David admitted, leaning back. 'Since Darrow and Zhao are gone - and I don't think they kept Taggart on their leading council - I've no idea who's in charge anymore.'

David hesitated a pondering moment.

'You're holding something back,' Pritchard noticed, whereat David drew a breath, receding.

'I do know two other connections, yes. Lucius DeBeers is powerful among them, if not even the main honcho.'

'The Lucius DeBeers?' the tech was surprised. 'That's an interesting twist.'

'Yes, but I've never met him in person, so I don't know for sure. The other faction involved would be-'

'VersaLife,' Adam threw in. With everything he had uncovered two months ago the dots pretty much connected straight-line.

'So, Page Industries,' Pritchard pursued the trail, David nodding affirmation. 'Then, that's where we start. Dig up enough dirt on Bob Page and expose him for leverage.'

'No!' David flared up all of a sudden, his air growing tense. 'Don't start poking around the hornet's nest, Frank. You've no idea who you're dealing with.'

'I thought that was the whole point.'

'Trust me, when I tell you, not even you are a match for these people. You won't find anything, anyway. And we can't afford any more of their attention. Not now. So, keep your distance, you hear me?'

It wasn't hard to miss that David was afraid. Afraid of the Illuminati, their influence, their power - and afraid of Bob Page in particular.

Adam contacted the tech via subvocal, for him alone to hear.

'Leave it for now, Pritchard. Let's talk about this later.'

Still reluctant, Pritchard gave a brief nod of consent to both of them.

David slumped back into his chair, drew another breath and emptied his glass in one greedy gulp, just to have an immediate refill from the bottle.

'So, what happened at the board of directors' meeting?' Adam assumed the conversation. 'It sure took a while.'

'It was a disaster, that's what happened,' David grumbled. 'Our stock market value dropped another five percent last week and the shareholders are pissing their pants. Some of them are threatening to pull out and sell their stakes. Worst of all, there's already a profitable offer on the table.'

'Let me guess,' Pritchard chimed in. 'Our illusive, medieval cabal?'

'One would think so, right?' David agreed, fixating his security executives with a stern look. 'But no, the offer comes straight from Kusanagi.'

'Kusanagi?' Pritchard obviously was as surprised as Adam. 'But they aren't in league with the Illuminati, are they?'

'No,' David shook his head. 'Not that I know of. In fact, they were rather giving the Illuminati the finger for their recruitment efforts, just as I did.'

'May we consider them an ally?' Adam reckoned.

'Like hell. Those Japanese bastards are after my company, for Christ's sake!' Heaving a sigh, David tried to calm himself. 'And that's not the end of it. They already bought up Isolay and Caidin Global after those declared bankruptcy. They even acquired several sections of Tai Yong.'

'How'd they get the resources for that?' Pritchard wondered.

'Nobody knows,' David gave a shrug. 'Then again, the Japanese always were more inclined towards cybertech than the rest of us. They bought our products on a large scale back before Kusanagi began to assume the Asian market.'

Adam remembered once reading an article on how Kusanagi monopolized the Asian cybertech industry, forcing Tai Yong to spread out west, to the African and American continents.

'So, what's your take on the situation, then?' Pritchard pressed on. 'Are we supposed to pack our bags?'

'Not yet. Not ever, if I can help it. I'm still holding the controlling interest in this company.'

'But?' This time it was Adam sensing David hesitate.

'But, as I've told you, the directors are beyond nervous. They want us to abandon biotech research and get back into weapons development, securing military contracts.'

He let the proclamation loom, waiting for his execs to respond on the matter, expectantly eyeing them.

'Don't look at me,' Pritchard gestured, warding off responsibility. 'I'm not your advisor.'

'Neither am I,' Adam concurred, though averse to the very idea as he'd always been. 'It's up to you to make that call.'

'I'm afraid,' David justified his course of action with a similar reluctance, 'we're going to need this if we want to keep Sarif Industries afloat for a while longer. At least until we can present a fully operational prototype of the X1 chip.'

'So, you don't plan on dropping the project, then?' Adam felt a need for confirmation.

'Of course not,' David gnarled. 'We've come too far already.'

Adam was relieved to hear that.

'What's the status on that, anyway?' He hadn't kept up with the research since...

'Still stagnating,' David gave in to a sigh and reached for his drink. 'Declan and his team are doing the best they can, but after Megan left-'

He started, throwing his security chief a wary look.

Once Adam had get her out of Singapore, Megan hadn't even stayed for three weeks in Detroit before she vanished again, simply leaving a message stating not to worry about her.

Adam didn't. Not anymore. She'd obviously made her choice.

'So, no development?' he passed over the item.

'I can't even make it public at the conference,' David admitted, gnashing. 'Not without something conclusive to deliver. Not anymore.'

'What if we found more help? Another specialist on the matter,' Adam suggested.

'Sure, you got one up your sleeve?' David remarked, then reconsidered, leaning forward. 'Unless, you do.'

'Her name's Tiffany Kavanagh,' Adam nodded. 'She's a biotech scientist who led the Hyron Project and possesses vast knowledge of Megan's research. And, apparently, she's got a conscience. It was her blowing the whistle on Belltower's involvement in the abduction of the test subjects.'

'She might be eager to redeem herself,' Pritchard went along with the idea.

'Get on it,' David issued the order, pointing a metallic finger, still holding the glass. 'Find her, whatever it takes, and I'll try to reel her in.'

Sighing, he leant back into his chair and finally took a swig of the Bourbon.

'Damn, that's some good news, at last.'

'We still need to consider the bad and very immediate ones,' Adam reminded. 'The conference is only three days ahead, and Taggart won't just quietly sit by and watch. We have to expect him make an appearance.'

'He's not on the guest list, so far,' Pritchard made a quick check with his handheld.

'Doesn't matter,' David controverted. 'The son-of-a-bitch won't pass on the opportunity to stir up further commotion. How are the safety measures coming along?'

'In progress,' Adam informed. 'Everything should be set on schedule.' Provided he'd find some more personnel to hire within the next forty-eight hours.

'Good. Then all I've gotta worry about is how to deal with that goddamn Purist for now.' David shook his head in resignation.

'There's another point,' Adam wasn't finished yet. 'Kusanagi. I saw them on the guest list. Are they going to cause trouble?'

'Hell, if I know,' David deferred. 'As long as they're not trying to buy Sarif Industries right from under my ass in front of a million viewers.'

'There anything else you can tell us?'

'About Kusanagi? Not much,' David regarded. 'Their president is Tetsuo Kusanagi. I met him once at a Human Enhancement Conference, just like this one, about - what? - fifteen years ago.'

'You think he'll attend?'

'No, don't think so. He hasn't shown himself in public for some time now. I think he's got some medical condition. He was wearing an exoskeleton supporting his body back then. No idea what he might have achieved with cybertechnology in the meantime.'

'So, you know nothing, in fact,' Adam established.

'Told you,' David verified. 'I can tell you this, though. The guy crept the hell out of me. He's a fanatic, crazy, like in batshit.'

He let the caution linger for a moment, until Pritchard cleared his throat, obviously growing impatient.

'Well, if there wasn't anything else - technical - to discuss, I'll be back in my lab and find something productive to do with myself - like tracking down Ms. Kavanagh.'

'Make it snappy,' David dismissed him with a brief nod, whereat the tech got up and downed his drink in the go.

Adam was about to follow, already rising, when David held him back.

'Adam, stay with me, would ya?'

Stopping short at the request, Adam waited for Pritchard to leave the office, before he turned, querying his employer.

'There something you wanted to talk over in private, boss?'

David shot him a glowering look in return.

'Can't I just enjoy your company once in a while?' Standing himself, he grabbed the bottle and suggestively pointed at Adam's yet untouched Bourbon. 'Come on. That's an order.'

Leading on to the lounge cornered by the crackling fireplace and the panoramic windows overlooking Detroit's luminescent skyline, David settled on the couch and indicated Adam to join.

Relenting, Adam gave in, retracted the shades from his eyes and picked up the drink to carry it over and sit in a chair next to his boss.

'You know, you just could've asked nicely.'

'I did,' David shrugged, leaning back. 'Didn't get through, obviously.'

Adam couldn't help but answer with an amused snort.

'No kidding.'

'Hey, I'm just trying to get you to unwind from time to time, by decree if need be.'

'You're one to talk,' Adam countered. 'You had any rest in the past thirty-six hours, at all?'

'What, you're keeping tabs on me now?'

'Always. It's the job you hired me for.'

'Touché,' David acknowledged, raised his glass and emptied it, before he helped himself to another refill. He didn't drink though, just sitting there, staring at the reflections of the fire dancing in the golden liquid.

'You know,' he spoke up again, musing. 'I wouldn't have thought you'd stay after- Panchaea and everything. I wouldn't have blamed you if you didn't.'

Puzzled, Adam gave the only response he could think of.

'Where else would I go?'

'I don't know,' David shrugged, still facing the Bourbon. 'Chasing after Megan, chasing another dream...'

'Not much left to chase after,' Adam stated the simple fact.

'That can't be all.'

'It's not.'

Now, David shot him an anticipating look, soon to realize Adam wasn't going to elaborate, keeping silent.

As if the old fox needed an explanation. And like hell Adam would grant him the pleasure of admitting.

'Anyway, I'm glad you did,' David let it go. 'I couldn't do this without you.'

He raised his glass once more and emptied this one too before he heaved a sigh and slumped back into the cushion, weariness showing.

'What a fucking mess...'

'You know this is just the beginning,' facing the bitter truth, Adam followed the example and finally downed his drink as well. 'It'll only get worse from here on.'

'Don't,' David gestured rejection, 'remind me. I don't even wanna think of it.'

Adam understood. He felt the very same.

'Yeah.'

He reached for the bottle and refilled them both while outside a cold December rain set in, sending heavy drops running down the windows, fragmenting the shiny lights of a city on razor's edge.


	2. Chapter 2

_2027, Detroit, Sarif Industries Headquarters, Security Manager Office_

As usual the white noise preceding an incoming infolink transmission was enough to stir Adam out of sleep, like it had been ever since two months ago, always keeping him on edge for the next disaster to happen.

'Jensen,' Pritchard's snarky voice resounded in his head before Adam even got around to open his eyes. 'Are you awake?'

'No.' Since it was just the tech annoying Adam didn't bother to move, still drowsy.

'Very funny.'

'What do you want, Pritchard, it's,' he made a quick check with his cerebral clock, 'shit, already past nine in the morning, and I really should get up.'

With a moan Adam rose, coming to sit on the couch he'd been lying on.

'You're welcome,' Pritchard remarked. 'And by the way, it's no wonder you're so wrecked, sleeping in the office again. I sat on that couch and I can tell it's everything but comfortable.'

'Appreciate the concern, Francis, but it's none of yours,' Adam dismissed the lecture.

Actually, he found it quite hard to sleep in his apartment. The place just felt... empty and haunted by dreadful memories. In very contrast to the ever bustling SI headquarters. That, and he was always on the job when called for.

'I need a smoke. And a coffee,' he groaned, standing, and reached for his coat.

'Hey, I wanted to talk to you,' the tech complained.

'Then talk. Or find me at the helipad where I'll be for the next half hour.' Adam slipped into the coat and left his office, descending the stairs towards the cafeteria. 'And make it quick, I got appointments to keep.'

'Which you hardly would be able to, hadn't I woken you up.'

'Yeah, yeah, I'll make sure to return the favor sometime. So, what's it gonna be?'

'Give me a sec, I'll be right there. Could do with a coffee myself.'

The communal area was occupied by only a few employees having a late breakfast, some of them hailing Adam as he entered. He gave a nod in return, stepped over to the vendor and drew a cup of black, steaming coffee, while on the screen right next to him Eliza Cassan was giving another report on Taggart's interview last night.

Adam didn't even listen. He knew this Eliza wasn't the one he'd met in Montreal, the one who'd helped him find Megan and the research team, the one assisting in figuring out the schemes of the Illuminati. He had no idea what had happened to the real AI after Panchaea and, no matter his concern, he frankly didn't have the time to care.

Grabbing his coffee and an unclaimed donut he headed to the helipad exit and went outside into the misty morning. Last night's rain had turned the air chill and damp, leaving puddles on the concrete floor mirroring the lead-grey sky above.

Adam found himself a rather dry place to sit down and light a smoke, where he seized the quiet and reflected on the five job interviews he'd scheduled until afternoon.

Three of them were quite promising, actually, being ex-cops, either fired or resigned from the force based on humanitarian grounds. Another was an ex-Belltower associate, claiming similar reasons for his application at SI security. And the last one turned out to be a former self-defense teacher, whose motivation Adam was simply intrigued by.

He'd just finished his snack and half of his coffee, having another smoke, when Pritchard finally showed up, carefully balancing a brimming mug himself as he made his way down the stairs, approaching Adam.

'Morning, sunshine,' Adam couldn't help but comment the dark rings beneath the tech's eyes.

'Fuck you,' the other mumbled and sat next to him.

'How comes you look worse than I feel?'

'Because,' Pritchard stressed, 'I didn't spend my night jovially getting plastered with the boss, unlike another certain someone.'

'Did you find anything, at least?' Adam skipped the reference.

'No.' Pritchard took a sip of his coffee, grimacing as he realized it was still too hot, and put it down. 'Not yet, anyway. Seems your Dr. Kavanagh got in contact with Interpol after she escaped Rifleman Bank Station, like you said. But there's no trace of her whereabouts ever since.'

'She still might be with the ICPO,' Adam speculated.

'Yes, and to find that out I need more time.'

Already dreading the tech's intentions Adam shot him a scrutinizing look.

'You're gonna hack Interpol, are you?'

'You got a better lead?'

'No.' Adam shook his head and took a drag from the smoke. 'Just... don't get caught.'

'I won't. And gimme one of those,' Pritchard demanded, pointing at the cigarette.

'Dammit, Francis, stop bumming off me all the time.' Adam handed him the pack anyway. 'Didn't you want to cut back?'

'Appreciate the concern, Jensen, but it's none of yours,' he quoted Adam's earlier remark.

'It is when you're freeloading my stuff.'

'Get over it.' Pritchard lit the tobacco and inhaled with an obvious pleasure Adam simply couldn't deny him. He most likely ran out of smokes during the night.

'So, if it wasn't concerning Kavanagh, what did you wanna talk about?'

Pritchard tilted a brow and turned his head to eye him snidely.

'I suggest you get your wet-drive checked if you've forgotten already. Page Industries, remember? Last night you said we'd talk later. Now it's later. So, let's talk.'

'Right.' Admittedly, Adam had repressed the matter already. 'Bob Page.'

'Are we going to grab him by his balls, or what?'

Falling silent for a moment, Adam weighed the very real risks involved against the uncertain prospect of success and made the decision.

'No.'

'You can't be serious,' the tech obviously had expected a different answer.

'Sarif's right, Pritchard,' Adam reasoned. 'The Illuminati are too influential, too well organized. You know what happened two months ago. For now they only perceive us as a minor threat, an annoyance. Let's keep it that way.'

'So, you just wanna sit idly by with your thumb up your ass?'

'We focus on the things at hand, the issues we actually may have a chance to change.'

'You're a wuss.'

'I'm just trying to keep Sarif safe.'

Adam wasn't sure if that really was the truth or if Pritchard was right, Adam being too paralyzed from the Incident to attempt any aggressive move.

However, Pritchard started and reconsidered, eyeing him observantly, then drew a breath.

'Ok, point taken,' he gave in, yet reluctant. 'The old man has probably earned it. But he can't win this war. You know that, right?'

'Yeah, I know,' Adam admitted. 'And he knows it, too. I think he's hoping to claim at least one victory before it all goes to hell.'

Pritchard went quiet on that, having another drag from the smoke.

'Alright, count me in,' he eventually submitted, exhaling. 'But they will come for us, sooner or later. We need to be prepared.'

Yeah, Adam was aware of that.

'For now I need you to collect information, data - legally,' he emphasized. 'Find connections, find the people involved. We observe their movements and wait for an opportunity, wait for them to screw up and disclose themselves.'

'If they ever screw up,' Pritchard pointed out. 'They don't seem to make a habit of that. I don't like it.'

'Neither do I. But Kavanagh has to be our first priority right now. If we can make the new biochip happen, that'll be the our blow against them.'

'There're a lot of "if's" involved.'

'Yeah, I noticed.'

'You know,' the tech added, 'VersaLife's attending the conference with three delegates listed. There's no guarantee, but Bob Page might make an appearance. Would be a good point to start.'

'Remember, Pritchard, observation only,' Adam urged him. 'But, yeah, you're right. His presence could give us some clues. At least on who's the guy capable of giving the boss such a scare.'

Showing a nod of consent, Pritchard reached for his coffee to have a sip.

'Speaking of the conference,' Adam brought up another thought, 'I need information on Kusanagi as well. I don't like their takeover tactics. And we might have to deal with them at some point.'

'What am I now? Your lackey?' the tech complained.

'Don't tell me you aren't interested how Kusanagi acquired all those assets. Or how far they'll go to get a piece of Sarif.'

'Maybe I am. Doesn't mean you can simply dump your donkeywork on me.'

'Will have to refrain from having you do my laundry, then.'

Pritchard slowly turned his head to cast him a scowl.

'You're a real comedian today, Jensen.'

'Must be your charming company, Francis,' Adam couldn't help but smirk as he extinguished the butt under his heel and downed the coffee leftover before he rose. 'But as pleasant as this has been, I'm afraid I have to go and attend to some job interviews now.'

'Yeah, you better,' Pritchard shooed him off. 'And I'm gonna grab a nap. Don't you dare disturb me.'

'Yeah, yeah.'

Taking his leave Adam had just covered two paces of distance when the tech called out to him again.

'Hey, you forgot your smokes.'

'No, I didn't,' neither stopping nor turning Adam simply gestured intent and went on.

* * *

The job interviews kept dragging on excruciatingly slow into the afternoon. When Adam saw off the fourth candidate the sun was already setting, early this late in the year.

As it had turned out only two of the three ex-cop applicants were eligible to join SI security, while on the other hand the ex-Belltower associate he'd just dismissed proved to be surprisingly qualified. He was skilled, adept, and the story about being unaware of his former employer's criminal activities had even passed the CASIE check.

Just one appointment left to go.

Adam painfully had to repress the urge for a break and a smoke as he was waiting for that last one to arrive, reviewing their profile compiled on a pocket secretary.

Her name was Alessandra Calligaris, the former self-defense teacher, age twenty-seven, of Italian heritage, yet born in Chicago, Illinois.

According to her résumé she'd been hearing impaired since birth and got cerebral implants in her teens, substituting for the inherent disability. She'd also fallen victim to the Aug Incident, lost her left arm and had it replaced with a cybernetic prosthesis right after - two of several facts Adam was intrigued by, and why he had agreed to the interview.

A knock on the door finally made him look up from the display, putting an end to the wait.

'Yes.'

The woman entering was built of shorter height, with a lean, athletic frame, wearing a casual leather jacket and a faded blue bandana around her neck. The dark brown hair was mostly cropped down to a butch, having some patterns shaved into the cut, while she'd let it grow out on the top left side, long enough to tuck behind her ear.

Kinda cute, actually.

'Am I too late?' she asked, worry in her dark eyes.

'No,' Adam assured and motioned her to approach and take a seat. The five minutes delay were still within margin.

Following the invitation she was obviously nervous, yet her overall demeanor testified to a certain die-hard confidence, as Adam already had expected.

Staying silent he only observed for a moment, reading her reactions, while she was growing even more on edge beneath his unshaded glare, until anger finally kindled her expression.

'You've been a self-defense teacher,' Adam spoke up before she got a chance to utter her discomfort, calming her down again.

'Yeah?'

'I'm curious as to why you got into self-defense, in the first place,' he inquired, leaning back into his chair.

'You're referring to my disability?' she pointed at her head, answered by Adam nodding.

'Simple. My dad used to love martial arts.' A nostalgic smile flashed her lips as she explained. 'When I was a child we were watching the old movies together. Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, you know? I became as passionate as he was and wanted to practice martial arts myself, but couldn't properly because of that.' She gestured at her ear again. 'Over the years dad worked himself to ruin at the expense of his health to afford these implants, and so I began training as soon as I got used to them. Teaching was just one way to give back what I'd gained.'

Adam had to admit he liked her reasoning. Her motivation wasn't just rooted in personal passion, but in honor to her father as well.

'And why would you want to abandon a teaching profession to work in corporate security?'

She gave a resigning shrug.

'Not many people left trusting an Aug nowadays, especially with their children. I'm used to repel violence, so it seemed a good fit. And on a more personal note, I needed to get out of Chicago, do something different.'

Adam could sort of relate to that.

'You got injured yourself during the incident.' As he reached for the electronic profile he saw her tensing up again and proceeded more warily. 'It's only been two months. That would make for a pretty fast recovery. You sure, you're up for the task?'

Frowning, she put on a defensive demeanor.

'Are you questioning my physical or my mental competence?'

'Both, in fact.' Though the medical evals already certified her fit for duty, he had to hear it from herself.

'I don't think you'll find my physical abilities insufficient,' she stated, somewhat offended. 'I've had the control chip implanted for years already, and I trained hard to get acquainted with this mechanical arm. I might not have mastered it one-hundred percent yet, but I need the job and I wouldn't have applied if I didn't feel up for it. As for my mental state...' She paused a moment, reflecting. 'I've seen both sides of what happened two months ago. I was experiencing the hallucinations myself and got injured by someone going through the very same. I'm still shocked, yes. But I... understand what happened to the one who attacked me. I can't blame anyone.'

'Is that the reason you chose to get a replacement for your lost arm?'

'Partly,' she nodded. 'I've been disabled half my life. I didn't want to be on another level as well; not when I didn't have to.'

Adam motioned appreciation and scrolled through the profile again.

'Tai Chi, Wing Chun, Aikido, Taekwondo, Muay Thai; that's quite an impressive list,' he gave credit to her skills. 'How about your experience in handling weapons?'

'Yeah, I train those on a regular basis, too,' she affirmed. 'Guns, knifes, batons - you name it. It's part of the expertise.'

She'd already made enough valid points to have Adam convinced to hire her. But there was one thing he still wanted to know.

'And why did you apply for Sarif Industries, of all places?'

'Sarif is hiring,' she responded casually, then contemplated. 'But to be honest, I'm not really sure myself. I've had Sarif implants from begin with. They served me well. And after the incident I chose Sarif tech again. Guess, it just seemed appropriate.'

Satisfied with her answer, Adam put the pocket secretary down and threw her an anticipating look.

'You got any questions yourself?'

'Yeah,' she raised her brows. 'Do I get the job?'

Showing a smirk Adam nodded affirmation.

'You get the job, Ms. Calligaris. Congratulations. I'll forward your file to human resources. They're gonna set up the contract with you.'

'Really?' she seemed honestly surprised. 'I mean, thank you, sir.'

Adam made a rejecting gesture.

'It's Adam. Or Jensen, if that's too informal for you.'

She gave him a smile of obvious relief.

'Ok. It's Alex for you, then. And thank you, really.'

'Welcome to the team, Alex. You'll find HR on the fifth floor to the right. Just take the elevator up.'

Standing, she stopped short again the next moment, obviously recalling some yet unaddressed concern.

'One thing, though,' she spoke up, somewhat demanding. 'I've seen the Sarif security uniforms on my way in, and while I'm basically ok with them, I sure as hell won't wear any of those stupid looking caps.'

Adam couldn't help but response with an amused snort.

'I think we can work around that somehow.'

* * *

After his newest recruit had left Adam postponed the badly needed time-out for another hour, compiling a duty roster for the next week, including the personnel allocation for the Human Enhancement Conference. He assigned all the freshmen to stay behind and safeguard Sarif HQ, while the more experienced of his team would keep the convention secure. Still, even with the four newcomers there was barely enough manpower available to provide sufficient coverage for one location, let alone both.

The clock was already running towards six in the evening, when Adam finally finished off and saw to his long overdue break, leaving the office and heading to the helipad below.

Outside, a starless sky weighed down on the city of Detroit and would've drained all the color from the cold, damp night if it weren't for the golden spotlights illuminating the B-EE 006 parked on the landing platform ahead. Right next to the VTOL, surrounded by the same warm glow, its pilot, Faridah Malik, was tinkering something at an open maintenance flap as Adam stepped down the stairs.

'Hey, Malik,' he hailed her, walking towards the company. 'Coming or leaving?'

'Jensen,' she pulled her head out of the hatch. 'I just got back, dropped Mitchell off. But the bird was behaving a bit willful on the way back, so I wanted to have a look at her. Probably just an attrition of the secondary auxiliary valve.'

'You're being the mechanic too, now?' teasing, he shot a look at an oil patch staining the sleeve of her flight suit.

'I just love caring for my baby,' she flashed him a grin and patted the aircraft's fairing with proud affection. 'Besides, we are low on maintenance staff. So, I'm doing what I can. What about you?'

'Whole day of job interviews being a pain in my ass,' he told her while he fished a pack of smokes out of his pocket. 'This is my first break since morning.'

'I hear ya,' she sighed. 'Been chauffeuring Mitchell from here to there all day, too.'

'Something serious?' Adam inquired, worry on the rise.

'Hell if I know,' she shrugged. 'It's not like he'd tell me what's going on. But from what I gathered I think it was regarding the conference.'

Adam showed her a nod and lit the smoke.

'Yeah, it's keeping us all on our toes.'

Malik was about to give a reply when she broke off all of a sudden, looking past his stature as another voice already called out to him.

'Adam. Good, you're here.'

Turning, he identified the guy closing in as Wayne Haas, his former second in command at SWAT, the one who carried out the order Adam had refused back in Mexicantown. Now, after he'd been fired from the force, Haas was his second in command at Sarif, mainly attending to administrative tasks.

'Wayne, something wrong?'

'Ah, no,' the Assistant Chief of Security gave him one of his insecure smiles. 'I just saw the duty roster. You hired new personnel?'

'Yeah, you think you can manage?'

'Of course, we can. Don't worry about it,' he assured, waving his hand.

'I'd also like you to instruct the new recruits, show them around, make them familiar with everything.'

'Sure, no problem.' the ex-cop was still uncomfortably smiling, not leaving.

'Then, was there anything else?'

'Actually...' Wayne kept beating around the bush. 'I ran into Nicky earlier. You remember Nicky?'

'Yeah.' Two months ago Adam had assisted his former colleague in preventing a terrorist attack on the DPD headquarters.

'He said, he still owes you one and was asking if you would like to have a drink at Maggie's tonight.'

'Ahh...' Adam faltered at the unexpected request. 'I don't kn-'

'Did I hear someone say "drinks"?' Malik emerged from the hatch she had retreated to, letting the two men talk. 'I could really use one tonight.'

'Sure,' Wayne approved immediately. 'You're welcome too if you like, right Adam?'

Adam had the distinct impression he wasn't about to get any more say in this.

'It's a cop bar, Malik,' he tried nonetheless. 'I don't think you'd like it there.'

'What, they don't serve drinks?' Malik countered, thwarting Adam's attempts to still dodge the invite.

'Of course, they do,' Wayne supported further.

'See!' she rejoiced, then noticed Adam's hesitation. 'Come on, Jensen, I really need a distraction. And so do you, I bet. It'll be fun.'

Somehow Adam doubted that, but gave in anyway, unable to think of a plausible reason not to.

'Alright, alright, count me in.'

'Great!' Malik flashed him a cheerful smile. 'I'm gonna go and get Frank.'

'Wait, what?' Started by the sudden twist Adam reacted a split second too late to hold her back. 'I know for certain he won't like it there. Malik...'

She didn't listen though, hurried up the walkway, and gone she was.

'Shit.'

'Ah, let her,' Wayne endorsed. 'The more the merrier.'

'You are aware this is Pritchard we're talking about, right?'

"Merry" wasn't exactly the term Adam would have chosen to profile the tech.

* * *

 _2027, Detroit, Jefferson Drive, Central Station_

They'd agreed to meet at seven in front of Central Station, giving Adam just enough time to head home, take a quick shower and see to a change of clothes before he had to hurry off again.

He was already running late when he turned the corner of Grand River and Jefferson, walking towards the well-frequented tram station where he found the group of three waiting for him. From the distance he could hear Pritchard - in spite of Adam's faint hopes present - audibly arguing with Malik, who was wearing a casual sweater, jacket and a pair of jeans instead of her usual flight suit.

'... tricked me into coming here,' the tech accused the pilot.

'I did not,' she rejected indignantly, arms akimbo.

'Yes, you did,' he persisted. 'You said this would be fun. You didn't say a word about a cop bar. Having drinks in a cop bar can't even remotely result in anything close to fun.'

'Nobody's forcing you to come, Francis,' Adam cut in, crossing the street and stepping up to them. 'We'll be just fine without you.'

'Ahh, look at that. The guest of honor finally makes an appearance,' the tech remarked his arrival. 'And you can bet your chrome ass I'm coming. I didn't leave my cozy office for nothing. Besides, I might get to hear some embarrassing cop stories about you.'

'Don't count on it.' Adam gave him a resigning shrug. Been worth the try.

'Alright, then,' Malik gleamed at him. 'Shall we, Spy boy?'

'After you, Fly girl,' Adam made a teasing gesture leading the way.

'Spy boy? Fly girl?' Wayne finally piped up after he'd been quiet the whole time, curious about their nicknames for each other.

'Yeah,' Pritchard couldn't help but comment as they walked past the 87th and down Jefferson Drive following the tram rail. 'That gooey sweet talk is going on since the incident. You two must've really bonded during all those missions.'

'You're just jealous you don't have a nickname yourself,' Malik threw a sassy look over her shoulder.

'I'm most certainly not.'

'Hmm, maybe we should choose one for you,' she simply stepped over his denial.

'Please, don't.'

'Let's see..' Malik was already hooked on the task. 'Hacker... Guy? No. Tech... Dude? Wait, I know. Whiz Kid!'

'Thank you, but I'm perfectly content with "Frank",' emphasizing his chosen name the tech shot Adam a reproachful look, just to have it silently ignored.

'Oh come on, don't be such a-'

Malik's attempt to bait him further got interrupted by a loud, nearby ruckus; angry voices, a clatter, a woman's yell.

'Hey! What's wrong with-'

'Watch it, hanzer! We don't talk with your kind!'

Stopping short Adam had a glance about, quickly spotting the commotion's origin.

In the shadows of the underpass they were about to enter, a group of three guys in their late twenties - Derelict Row Ballers by the look of it - planted themselves around a woman, cornering her into the wall in her back. The girl Adam recognized immediately; brown leather jacket, blue bandana, distinctive hairstyle. Alessandra Calligaris, his latest recruit.

'I was just asking for a nice place to have a drink, you assholes!' she snapped at them, hands already raised in passive defense.

'Machines don't need to drink,' one of the gangers sneered, words dripping with apparent contempt as he closed in on her.

Before Adam was even realizing, Malik all of a sudden left his side and stormed towards the group, shouting in furious rage.

'Hey, what the hell you think you're doing? Leave her alone!'

The speaker startled in surprise, then slowly turned around and eyed the approaching pilot from tip to toe, a sly grin on his lips.

'What, another clank coming to the rescue? Or are you just one of those crazy cog lovers too dumb to know when to stay out of somebody else's business?'

'It sure as hell is my business when jackasses like you are threatening harmless people. She didn't do anything wrong. So, let her go,' Malik demanded, not wavering.

'She offends me with her pres-'

The words got stuck in the guy's throat the moment he caught sight of Adam walking a few calm steps forward right into his line of view, fixating on him from the distance, signaling Malik wasn't alone.

'Aren't you supposed to start some daring rescue act about now?' Pritchard had followed his advance, coming to a halt right next to him, and frowned at the situation their friend and colleague had gotten herself into.

'No need,' Adam assured, not only certain the silent threat wouldn't miss its effect, but also sure both girls were able to take care of themselves.

Indeed, the ganger hesitated a moment and seemed to reconsider his attitude, before he beckoned the others to withdraw. Puzzled, they turned, looking for a source of the sudden change of mind. And as they saw Adam with Pritchard and Wayne standing there they mutually agreed to retreat, leaving in the opposite direction.

Malik was at Alex's side in a heartbeat.

'Are you ok, sweetie?'

'Yeah,' Alex gave a short nod. 'I'm just pissed. Really, I didn't move to Detroit to-'

Spotting Adam and the others closing in Alex broke off and stared at him in obvious surprise.

'Adam? Jensen? I mean-'

'Oh, you know each other?' Malik asked, curiously glancing back and forth between the two of them.

'Yeah,' Adam confirmed. 'She belongs to my staff. I hired her today.'

'What?' Pritchard butted in and planted himself in front of Adam, pointing his thumb over his shoulder at Alex. 'So, your plan to fix our security deficiencies entails hiring a tiny girl who needs protection of another girl from a bunch of bullies? I feel so much safer al-'

He didn't get the chance to finish his complain. Alex simply grabbed for his hand, twisted it into an unnatural angle and forced the tech to bend after her will, educing a stream of pain filled groans and furious curses out of him. Yeah, she definitely knew her Aikido.

'Hey, Ponytail, talk to my face if you got something to say to me,' she straightened him out, then addressed Adam. 'Who, the hell, is this testa di cazzo?'

The language software installed in Adam's neural hub automatically translated the foreign phrase. _Dickhead._

'Frank Pritchard, Manager of Cyber Security at Sarif Industries,' he introduced with a smirk, quite enjoying Pritchard's punishment.

'Oh,' she began to realize, eyes wide, and finally let the tech go. 'I didn't mean to-'

'Don't worry about it, sweetie,' Malik stepped in and gave Pritchard a stern glare. 'He absolutely deserved it.'

'Yeah, yeah, I probably did,' mumbling, the tech rubbed his strained wrist and turned around to face the new recruit. 'You got skills, newbie, I grant you that.'

'My name is Alex Calligaris,' she told him, eyes narrowing. 'You better make use of it.'

'Alright, I'm gonna call you Al.'

'Hey,' Malik cut in. 'Didn't you say you wanted to get some drinks? We are on our way to Jensen's old place, if you'd like to join us. My name is Faridah Malik, by the way. I'm a pilot at Sarif. And this,' she pointed at silent Wayne, 'is Wayne Haas, Assistant Manager of Security.'

'Nice to meet you,' Alex smiled at everybody around, excluding Pritchard. 'And thanks for the help. But I don't want to be a bother-'

'Nonsense,' Malik contradicted. 'We'd be glad to have you, right guys?'

Since nobody raised any objections, except for Pritchard grumbling and being ignored for it, it was a done deal.

* * *

 _2027, Detroit, Jefferson Drive, Maggie's Pub_

Maggie's Pub had survived Detroit's many ups and downs for decades already, always remaining a place to welcome every officer assigned to the 87th. So it had been for Adam as well. He'd come here quite often, hanging out, relaxing, having fun. It hadn't even been two years ago, but it seemed like ages. Everything had changed since then.

The interior, however, hadn't changed at all; some rustical booths lining up alongside the windows, stained tables surrounded by worn out chairs, the oaken bar stretching out to the left, a screen displaying Picus's latest news hovering in the corner, the pool table in the back. Cigarette smoke lingered in the air, together with the malty tang of beer. And scattered in small groups throughout the room a good dozen cops in plain clothing were drinking, chatting and laughing above the old-school rock music playing in the background.

'Homey,' Pritchard couldn't hold back a comment and raised an eyebrow as they entered the establishment.

While most of the patrons didn't pay any attention to the newcomers a voluminous woman at advancing age turned the corner of the bar and gave them a warm smile.

'Welcome to Maggie's Pu-' She broke off and her smile widened when she began to recognize familiar faces. 'Wayne, haven't seen you in a while. I heard, what happened. I'm sorry. But I'm glad you seem to be doing well. And... Good Lord, is that you, Adam?'

Trailing off, she came a few steps closer to eye him up and down, her initial delight replaced by utter disbelief.

'Hey, Maggie,' he greeted her, feeling somewhat awkward, and out of courtesy retracted the shades from his eyes.

'Jesus Christ, what've they done to you, boy? You look...' Whatever she was about to say she swallowed it, shook her head and pulled Adam into a busty hug instead. 'Doesn't matter, lad. It's good to see you.'

Adam returned the heartfelt embrace for a moment before he withdrew from her arms, showing her a reassuring smile.

'I'm alright, Maggie. Thanks.'

'You're staying, yes? We haven't seen you for so long,' she wanted to know, looking at his companions with anticipation.

'Yeah, we're here to see Nicky, actually.'

'Jensen,' the younger officer noticed him already from one of the booths, got up and left the two he'd been sitting with to come and meet them. 'You made it.'

They shook hands.

'Hey, Nicky. Yeah, Wayne was so persistent I simply couldn't refuse,' Adam teased, then introduced his entourage. 'These are a few of my associates at Sarif. You don't mind, do you?'

'No, of course, they are welcome,' the cop gave his consent and nodded at them before he turned back to Adam. 'I've reserved us a booth. And some of the guys are here, too. Maggie, get us a round of your finest, will ya?'

'Sure, dear,' the barkeep complied and vanished behind the counter to process the order. In the meantime, Nicky led them to the booth where Adam ran into another familiar face.

'Xander?' he approached the dark tainted detective. 'Didn't expect to see you here.'

'Well,' she grinned up at him, 'I'm just as grateful as Nicky that you saved the precinct, and since I've got my own score to settle with you, I thought I'd tag along.'

'I assume you finalized the prosecution, then?'

'Yeah,' she nodded. 'O'Malley is going to be on trial next month, thanks to you.'

'Yes,' from somewhere behind Adam Pritchard's voice chimed in. 'Glad we could establish that Jensen's all our mutual hero. Can we sit down now? I'm growing tired of standing around.'

Adam drew a calming breath and tried to restrain Pritchard's improper remark.

'Please, excuse this jerk's behavior, guys. He's got an evil tongue and sometimes loses control over it.'

He shot the tech a warning look as the other was hustling towards the bench until everyone gave in and settled around the table. Being the last to sit Adam assumed the general introduction while Maggie came to serve the first round of beer.

Once she'd left, it didn't take long for Wayne, Xander and Nicky to dig up one old memory after another, sharing all sorts of stories with their audience growing more and more attentive. They went from glory over fun to embarrassment and reverse, spinning their tales around Adam with increasing enthusiasm while he, in vain, tried to steer the focus off of himself.

They told that story when Adam on a hunch kept the SWAT team from walking into an ambush; Wayne in pursuit of a suspect which turned out to be a crazed raccoon; Nicky pulling over a car, the driver getting a blowjob; Xander distracting an armed thug by showing him her boobs.

It felt quite nice to be with the guys again. Almost like coming home from a long journey, even though Adam was aware he couldn't stay.

During the fourth round he cast a look about the group. The cops were cheerfully talking among each other, same as the girls. Apparently Alex and Malik had clicked at the very first moment; and Adam was glad his new recruit had found such a quick and amicable connection at Sarif.

The only one unhappy at the table was, of course, Pritchard. The tech sat quiet, glooming and inert next to Adam and only shifted into motion when he was reaching for his beer. Of which he'd had at least two more pints than anyone else.

Adam had been afraid of this; he'd tried to warn him, dammit.

'Hey, Adam, do you remember-' Wayne turned around and drew his attention away, but got interrupted by yet another voice that very moment.

'Adam? Adam Jensen?' The two officers passing by their booth stopped short and looked about until they spotted him, surprise on their faces.

'Hodge, Dever,' Adam nodded without much excitement. Lieutenants Hodgins and Dever were members of the SWAT unit, but had never fully accepted Adam's leadership back in the days, often causing unnecessary conflicts. Simply put, they both were a pain in the ass.

'Well, I'll be damned. You got some balls showing up here, cap, after the shit you pulled,' Hodgins goaded, using Adam's former rank of captain only for sport, while Dever stayed silent like always.

'Hey, guys,' Wayne tried to calm the situation. 'That's all bygone. So let's keep it in the past, will ya?'

'Sure, Haas,' Hodgins and Dever each found themselves a chair and dragged those over to join the table. 'Was just kidding, anyway.'

Despite his statement Hodgins wasn't done with Adam, though.

'So, how're you doing?' he kept nagging. 'Heard, you suck up to Sarif now. Security? And it seems they got you wholly incorporated at that. You look like a fucking robot.'

'And you're still lacking the wit to know when to shut up, Hodge. Watch your mouth. I'm not in the mood for your bullshit.'

'Easy, cap,' the lieutenant made a placating gesture. 'We're all buds here, right. Just concerned for your well-being. Who're your friends? Introduce us?' Taking a closer look at the other three Sarif employees he paused to blatantly ogle Malik and Alex.

'Associates at Sarif,' Adam didn't bother to acquaint them any further; but Hodgins had no intention to let go.

'Security too?'

'I am,' Alex spoke up, scowling at him.

'Best pilot among the clouds,' Malik added herself in, same expression on her face.

Pritchard stayed quiet, however, only reaching for his beer to have a sip, which seemed to raise Hodgins's curiosity even more.

'You don't look like security at all, pal,' he made an attempt to provoke a response out of the tech. Successful, to no surprise.

'Cyber-security,' Pritchard retorted, the consumed alcohol notably afflicting his articulation. 'And manager of, for your information.'

'You're one of them hacker-nerds, then. The kind who hides behind closed doors, not getting their hands dirty while they fuck over decent people.'

'I prefer to think of myself as an expert of data processing and digital communication, but whatever works for you-'

Hodgins didn't even listen anymore. He'd turned to Dever instead and was nudging an elbow at his fellow.

'This reminds me of that freak we once busted. Remember him? He had that stupid handle, like... What was it? Some worm.'

Already grinning, Dever just shook his head, while Adam could feel a certain grip of foreboding clench his guts.

'No, you're right,' Hodgins agreed and continued to jog his memory. 'It was a snake. Solid? No, that was something else. More like toxic? Atomic? No, I got it! Nuclear. Nuclearsnake! And written with a three, I remember. Can you believe that?'

Even though he'd somewhat seen it coming Adam still froze when Pritchard's hacker alias dropped and Hodgins and Dever broke into a laugh. Others joined in as well, not realizing the source of their glee sat right among them.

At his side Adam could sense the tech tensing as well, but against all odds Pritchard kept quiet, just scowling, gaze locked on the two cops at the center of everybody's amusement.

Only when the laughter eventually died down he came to his feet, a forced smile on his lips.

'That was awfully entertaining,' he feigned delight. 'But if you'll excuse me, I need to take a leak now.'

With that he made an attempt to squeeze past Adam, yet tripped on his feet and would have lost balance if Adam hadn't instinctively reached out to support him.

'Francis?' he tried to catch a glimpse of the other's eyes.

'I'm alright, Jensen. Don't you worry,' Pritchard assured, face averted, tone belying, and scrambled on to escape the narrow space.

Adam took a deep breath, leant back and let him pass, Malik giving him a worried look which he answered with a shrug. He just hoped the tech would refrain from doing something entirely stupid.

About three minutes later his hopes shattered to pieces when the music suddenly broke off and was replaced by a new and more boisterous tune. Adam was unpleasantly familiar with the intro of that song and soon identified it as Pointer Sisters' "I'm So Excited"; a song that surfaced a long forgotten memory.

No way!

Adam jerked around and saw what everyone else was seeing on that big screen in the corner; a video of a party in a cowboy bar held by the whole SWAT team about ten years ago. They'd been celebrating Adam's promotion, drinking, and one after another failing to ride the mechanical bull. Two years later someone had leaked that video to the internal police feed, attached the song and locked it all in an endless loop. It took the techs about six hours to crack the virus and reset the system. Until then the file had been mailed all over the city, embarrassing the hell out of the entire SWAT unit. And Adam's younger self was right there among them, pictured on the display and only obscured by a transparent watermark showing a green snake hissing and writhing in front of a radioactive sign.

Oh god, no... Francis...

As the music swelled towards the refrain Pritchard came emerging from the passage to the restrooms, with every step dancing to the melody and cheerfully singing along.

'I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it, I'm about to lose control and I think I like it-'

'It was you!' putting one and one together, Hodgins jumped up and lunged at the tech with such force his chair toppled over.

Still stunned in process Adam couldn't react fast enough to stop the enraged cop, leaping after him instead.

He was too late to prevent the blow to the jaw that sent Pritchard to the floor, but he managed to divert the follow-up kick Hodgins aimed at the hacker's torso. With his opponent thrown out of balance Adam planted himself between the two of them, blocking the path and shielding the tech from another strike.

'What, you're taking his side?' Hodgins snapped and rightened in front of him. 'He's made a fool out of all of us, turned the whole squad into a laughingstock for months, including yourself, and you're standing up for this asshole?'

'He's my partner,' Adam stated the only fact that mattered, meeting Hodgins furious glare with calm resolve.

From behind the cop Dever and a small lot of curious gawkers came closing in, trailed by the remaining Sarif staff. Malik and Alex immediately pushed past the crowd and bent down to have a worried look at the groaning tech lying on the ground, while Wayne took position next to Adam, nervously fidgeting.

Hodgins, now backed by Dever and several of the bystanders, sneered at him in spite.

'You were never one for partners, Jensen.'

'Things change,' Adam declared. 'And if you want a piece of him you have to go through me first. You sure, you wanna take that bet?'

Warily staring at each other, the tension became almost tangible, until Maggie finally stepped in and put an end to the conflict.

'Enough of this!' Her voice boomed over the still playing music. 'You want to have a go at each other you can do that outside. I won't have you trash my bar.'

'You're right. I'm sorry for this, Maggie,' Adam took the rap, still not letting Hodgins out of his sight. 'I think, it's better we leave now.'

He made a step backwards at Pritchard's side and hunkered down to help the dazed tech up. Slinging the other's arm around his neck Adam rose again and beckoned Malik, Alex and Wayne to go.

Hodgins just kept glaring at them, scornful, not saying a word while they slowly pulled back. He seemed to remember he'd never before won a sparring with Adam; and he sure as hell wouldn't win one now.

'Don't worry, Jensen, we got the tab,' Nicky called after them, Xander by his side, both afflicted of how the evening had turned out.

Adam nodded them a thanks and exited the pub through the door Wayne held open for him, hauling Pritchard along.

* * *

They'd only put a few paces of distance behind when the tech in his arms suddenly began to chuckle and raised his head.

'You were right, Malik,' he addressed the pilot walking ahead with Alex and Wayne, showing a crimson grin stained by his sill hemorrhaging lip. 'This really was fun.'

Then he staggered, his knees giving way, and would have doubled over if Adam hadn't tightened his grip around the caving body.

'Oh, I don't feel so good...' he muttered.

Adam motioned the others to go ahead and led Pritchard over to a small handrail fencing a downstairs entrance. There he took hold of the other's chin and quickly examined him for signs of a concussion.

'Let go of me!' Pritchard slurred and jerked his head out of Adam's hand, clutching for the rail. 'I don't need your help.'

'You certainly did in there,' Adam pointed out and retreated since Pritchard seemed fine. 'That was a stupid-ass move, Francis. They would've wiped the floor with you.'

'And why would you give a damn?' the tech snidely spat a blood-laced phlegm of saliva to the ground. 'You're just one of them, anyway.'

For a second Adam wasn't sure if Pritchard indicated to the video playing at the pub. Did he even know Adam had been a victim of his little prank?

No, this had to be about something else; and Adam already had a hunch on the matter.

'You know I wouldn't want anyone else having my back when I'm out there, do you?' he owned up to them both.

'Uh, I gotta barf,' Pritchard, however, squirmed the same moment, bent over the railing and noisily spilled the contents of his stomach down the concrete hollow.

Adam gave in to a silent sigh. He didn't know if the tech even heard him. He only knew he wouldn't repeat himself.

Once Pritchard stopped convulsing Adam stepped over and rightened him up.

'Come on, I'll take you home.'


End file.
